Abstract
IntroductionComplementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) include a wide range of products (herbs, vitamins, minerals, and probiotics) and medical practices, developed outside of the mainstream Western medicine. Patients with cancer are more likely to resort to CAM first or then in their disease history; the potential side effects as well as the costs of such practices are largely underestimated.Patients and methodWe conducted a descriptive survey in five Italian hospitals involving 468 patients with different malignancies. The survey consisted of a forty-two question questionnaire, patients were eligible if they were Italian-speaking and receiving an anticancer treatment at the time of the survey or had received an anticancer treatment no more than three years before participating in the survey.RESULTSOf our patients, 48.9% said they use or have recently used CAM. The univariate analysis showed that female gender, high education, receiving treatment in a highly specialized institute and receiving chemotherapy are associated with CAM use; at the multivariate analysis high education (Odds Ratio, (OR): 1.96 95% Confidence Interval, CI, 1.27-3.05) and receiving treatment in a specialized cancer center (OR: 2.75 95% CI, 1.53-4.94) were confirmed as risk factors for CAM use.ConclusionRoughly half of our patients receiving treatment for cancer use CAM. It is necessary that health professional explore the use of CAM with their cancer patients, educate them about potentially beneficial therapies in light of the limited available evidence of effectiveness, and work towards an integrated model of health-care provision.
Highlights
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) include a wide range of products and medical practices, developed outside of the mainstream Western medicine
CAM use; at the multivariate analysis high education (Odds Ratio, (OR): 1.96 95% Confidence Interval, CI, 1.27-3.05) and receiving treatment in a specialized cancer center (OR: 2.75 95% CI, 1.53-4.94) were confirmed as risk factors for CAM use
It is necessary that health professional explore the use of CAM with their cancer patients, educate them about potentially beneficial therapies in light of the limited available evidence of effectiveness, and work towards an integrated model of healthcare provision
Summary
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) include a wide range of products (herbs, vitamins, minerals, and probiotics) and medical practices, developed outside of the mainstream Western medicine. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, USA, the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), include a wide range of products, such as herbs ( known as botanicals), vitamins, minerals, and probiotics, and medical practices, such as acupuncture or magneto-therapy, which are outside of the mainstream Western medicine. Such practices or substances are defined ‘alternative’ when they are used in place of conventional medicine and ‘complementary’ when they are used together with conventional medicine [1]. The aim of this study was to assess the use of CAM across a number of Italian cancer hospitals, using the same measurement tool and the same definition of CAM and trace the “identikit” of typical cancer patient “CAM-users”
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